The present invention relates to a device for electronically sealing a container and a system and method for operating the same, and in particular to a device for electronically sealing a container and a system and method for operating the same wherein the sealing of a container door can be controlled from a remote distance by applying a proximity wireless communication technique to the device for electronically sealing a container for the sake of a locking and unlocking of the container becomes more convenient, rapid, and safer.
The container used in a freight transportation industry in general is called a freight container in the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and is called a cargo container in the ANSI (American National Standards Institute). The container is made of various materials, for example, wood, plywood, steel, aluminum, light alloy, FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic), etc. The above container may be classified based on its use purpose into a dry cargo container, a heat keeping container, a bulk container, a high cube container, a reefer container, an open top container, a ventilated container, a flat rack container, a livestock container, a cold keeping container, a house container, a high container, an oxide container, a car container, etc.
In a freight transportation industry using such containers, a freight safety is considered the most safety matter in addition to the transportation of the freight. The current container designing is not providing any mechanism to monitor the container itself and the safety of the stuff in the container.
In this regard, the freight transportation companies and the customers thereof are trying to develop a predetermined means to continuously check and monitor the transportation state of the shipped containers and the safe transportation of the freight, and the related government authority is also trying to develop various prevention means to prevent the carry-in of any inhibited or harmful substances, for example, a drug, a mass destruction weapon, etc. hid in the container. That is, the freight transportation company and the government authority are using one or more door hasp mechanism, more specifically, a safety device, for example, a lock, a plastic and metallic roof sealing and a cable sealing, a bolt sealing, etc. in an effort to prevent any unauthorized approach to the transportation container.
But, the above described freight transportation using the container may take months in terms of a transportation period via multiple stages, for example, a freight loading, a transportation using a truck, a gate-in, a shipping, a sailing, a disembark, a gate-out, a transportation using a truck, a freight unloading, etc. Even though the door is sealed using the above mentioned door hash mechanism, the door hash mechanism may be broken during the transportation procedure, which may result in the robbery of the freight. The worse problem is that no one can easily recognize such robbery.
In an effort to prevent such a situation, the customer, the freight transportation company and the government authority are monitoring the security and state of the container in such a way to install at the container a safety tag and a memory button or an electronic sealing, by means of which a corresponding transportation container can be traced.
In case of the above mentioned electronic sealing, it is equipped with only a function to inform the user when the container door is open. For this reason, any illegal opening possibility of the container door cannot be substantially resolved.